Fence-post brace.



H. P. VON ENGBLN.

4 FENCE POST BRAGE.

APPLICATION FILED APILB, 1910.

991,913. Patented May 9,1911.

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HARRY F. VON ENGELN, 0F LUDELL, KANSAS.

FENCE-POST BRACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1911.

Application filed April 6, 1910. Serial No. 553,690.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, I'IARRY F. VON ENGELN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ludell, in the county of Rawlins, State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence- Post Braces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to attachments for fences to brace the corner posts, and for like purposes, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve the construction and increase the eiliciency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brace which is wholly of metal, is strong, durable, and which will not become readily displaced under the severe strains to which devices of this character are subjected.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be readily adjusted to posts of various sizes and lengths without structural changes either in the posts or in the attachment.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claim; and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a conventional post with the improvement applied, Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, Fig. 3 is a plan view, Fig. 4 is an end view, and Fig. 5 is a front View of the upper step plate, detached, Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail illustrating the construction of the brace coupling.

The improved device may be attached to posts of various sizes and to posts constructed of various materials, but for the purpose of illustration is shown applied to a conventional Wooden post represented at 10. The improved device embraces in its construction a lower step device comprising a plate 11 bearing against the post 10 near the ground, represented at 12, and mto which the post is'set in the usual manner. The plate 11 is secured to the post by any suitable means, but preferably clamp device formed of a U-bolt 13. The plate 11 is provided with two sockets 14-15 in which the inner ends of two sections of piping 1617 are threaded. The outer or free ends of the pipe sections are provided with L-couplings l8--19 to receive a transverse pipe section 20 whereby the free ends of the pipes 1617 are coupled. The L-couplings 1819 are designed to bear upon the ground, and to prevent them from digging into the ground they are preferably supported by a ground plate 21, as shown. The spaced members 16-17 and the transverse coupling member 20 form a stay structure to receive the downward thrust produced by the straining of the fence wires.

Bearing against the post near its upper end is a clamp device 22 having spaced ears through which a clamp bolt 24 extends, the clamp bolt being utilized to swingingly support the upper end of a brace member formed of a section of piping 25. The clip is detachably and adjustably secured to the post by a U-bolt 26 or other suitable fastening device. Swinging upon the transverse section of piping 20 is a T-coupling 27 supporting a rod 28, the rod being threaded for the major portion of its length and extending into the tubular brace 25. The rod 28 is provided with a nut 29 and a bearing washer 30 bearing against the free lower end of the tubular brace 25, as shown. By this means the rod 28 and the brace 25 may be adjusted longitudinally to produce the requisite bracing strain against the post 10, and this strain may be increased or decreased as required by simply actuating the nut 29. By this simple arrangement an etlicient brace device is produced whereby the post 10 may be supported against any lateral strains to which it may be subjected. Devices of this character are employed generally upon the corner posts, or posts located at the bends of fences where lateral strains are severe, and effectually braces the post and prevents deflection thereof by the strains of the fence members. The rod 28 will preferably be constructed nearly equal in length to the tubular brace ..5, so that the degree of adjustment is extensive to enable the brace to be applied without structural changes to abnormally long posts, such as high gate posts, telephone posts, electric-trolley line posts, and the like.

The member 1G-17 of the stay structure engages against the post 10 at two points spaced apart, while the upper and lower ends of the members which constitute the brace are located centrally of the stay 1nember, so that the whole structure is efiectually supported from lateral movement relative to the post. This is an important feature of the improved device, and materially increases its efiiciency and stability.

What is claimed is In a truss brace for fence posts, a socket member adapted to be secured to a post relatively near the base thereof, a pair'of spaced tie-rods secured to said socket member, ninety-degree elbows secured to the outwardly extending ends of said tie-rod, said elbows being disposed with their free ends opposed and co-axial, a T-member having its alining arms rota'tably secured in the opposed elbow ends, an extensible strut secured to the third arm of said T, means for applying an extending force to said strut, a terminal pivotally secured to said strut, and means for adjustably securing said terminal to said post, whereby an adjustable triangular truss element is formed of which two angles and two sides may be varied to adapt the same for service on posts of varying heights.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY F. VON ENGELN.

Witnesses H. F. DUNKER, ALBERT Kris'rnNs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

